February

February means the second month of the year.

(noun)

An example of February is the month that comes after January.

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See February in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun pl. Februaries or Februarys

the second month of the year, having 28 days in regular years and 29 days in leap years: abbrev. Feb or F

Origin: ME Februarie < L Februarius (mensis), orig. month of expiation < februa, Rom. festival of purification held Feb. 15, pl. of februum, means of purification, prob. < IE *dhwes-, to stir up, blow, eddy > deer, dizzy

See February in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun pl. Feb·ru·ar·ies Abbr. Feb.
The second month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. See Table at calendar.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English Februarie

Origin: , from Latin Februārius (mēnsis), (month) of purification

Origin: , from februa, expiatory offerings

Origin: , possibly of Sabine origin

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Usage Note: Although the variant pronunciation (fĕbˈyo͞o-ĕrˌē) is often censured because it doesn't reflect the spelling of the word, it is quite common in educated speech and is generally considered acceptable. The loss of the first r in this pronunciation can be accounted for by the phonological process known as dissimilation, by which similar sounds in a word tend to become less similar. In the case of February, the loss of the first r is also owing to the influence of January, which has only one r.

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February

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